Fender



March zo, 192s. r y 1 663 051 H. M. KATZv FENDER Filed Aug. 9, 1927 Patented Mar. 2Q, 1928.

HARRY raxnfrz, or NEW Yonx, n. Y.

l Y FENDER@ Application mea August 9, 1927. serial No. 211,673.

This invention relates to fenders, bump# ers and safetydevices, with particularv reference to such as are conventional motor vehicles.y

rIhe fenders, which are used at present, are frequently of petty protection should the motor vehicle to which it is'fixed ac cidentally strike a pedestrian, sinceit is of rigid-bar construction that, upon striking persons or objects, merely hurls them to the ground, permitting the possibility of their being crushed under the wheels of the vehicle.

lIt is therefore the object of the present invent-ion to provide a combined fender and safety device connectedto and operated automatically by the brakes of a motor vehicle and which, when ythe brakes are applied,

forms a flexible screen in advance of the 'vehicle, protecting pedestrians from being in- Y jui-ed by the wheels.

A furtherfeature isV in the provision of .means adapted to return the safety device to its normal position after v the brakes haveA been released. y These objects, together with others which will become apparent as the description progresse-s, are Y combination,

associated illustration, comprising a material component of this disclosure, and in which: Y l

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the forward portion of a motor vehicle equipped withv a brake-at each wheel and a vcombined safety 'device made in accordance with this invention, the body of the vehicle being removed to show the structure. f

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view. of a part yof the same.

l chassis having downwardly bowed' front, y portions 11, to which is fixed the usual front Figure 3 is al reduced, perspective view of a combined'bumper and safety device in detail.

Figure ,4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the center line of the safety device actuating means.

Figure 5 is a fragmentaryv perspective view of a structural detail. I

The numeral 10 generally designatesthe side members ofV a" conventional vehicle axle 12 carrying forward wheels 13 on the inside of which are brake housings 14y containing any conventional braking mechau fixed to the front of attainedv by the construction, and arrangement of elements' hereinafter described and illustrated in the v nisrns (not shown) actuated by cables 15 i fixed to lever arms mounted on a rod 16,

journalled in the sideframe members 10 and actuated by either the usual emergency hand lever 17 or foot pedal 18.

Rigidly secured on the upper surface of the chassis frame members, at the forward ends 11 are .brackets 19 havingforwardly extending spaced arms 20 and 21, relatively upper and lower, the upper arm carrying a bar 22, its rearwardly curved ends reaching'v in front of the forward wheels 13.Y

A Connected to the *bar 22 and extending therebelow are av plurality of fiat rods 23 connected by lazy-tongs elements 24,` `the lowermost rod having pivotally connected' at its ends, levers 25 adjustably fixedA by set screws 26 on the outer ends of sleeves 27 journalled in casings 28.

Revoluble in theinner ends of the sleeves and bearings in the casingsare short studs 29 carrying bevel gears-30.` Coiled about the outer extending portions of the sleeves 27 are torsion springs 31",`l theirr ends engaging respectively the levers 25 Yand studs v32 secured in the adjacent walls of the casings28.

Coiled about the sleeves 27, within the casings, are similar but stronger torsion springs 33, one of the ends of which engage studs 34 fixed in the solid portionof the sleeves and the other ends engaging studs 35 fixed in the faces of thel bevel gears 30.

of elongated cylindric'alcasings 40, the outer ends of thev sleeves 37 having openings-receptive of thehelical portion 41 of bar-s 42 of rectangular cross sect-iony adjustably connected through lock nuts 42, with rods `43 pivoted to rockerr arms 44 rotatably mounted on theside framefmembers 10, the opposite ends of the arms 44 being provided with clips 45 to adjustably engage the cables 15 `which pas-s'through themfand -bywhich motion is transmitted to theY arms and bars 42.

If Vmore convenient the lcables may be directly attached to the rods-43, in which case; the action of the barsl 43 will be reversed, and it will be obvious that the bars 43,.in stead of being vof rectangular `cross-section may be cylindrical and provided 'with' a helical key.

The casngs 40 are fixed to the axle 12 by brackets 46 oranyrother similar fastening means.

Thus, should an emergency arise and either the hand lever 17 or the ,f oot'pedal 18 be actuated, the rod 1G vwill be rotated, moving the cables in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 1 to actua-te the brakes housed in the casings 14. l i

The movement Vof the cables 15 will also,

through their connection with the rocker armsi, cause the bars l4Q to slide inthe ,casings 40, causing the sleeves 37 to be froleased the cables 15 .will move lforwardly ,automatically ret-racting the bars l2 to permit the torsion springs 33 .to return `the levers 25 to their .normal upward positions, closing `the k.safety device, as shown kin `full lines in FigureVSB.

LIt will ble-noted thathafter the bars 4Q `have entered the Lsleeves V37 `beyond their yhelical portions, thescreen will, because of the shape of thevbarsVremain open until-the retraction of the helical portions.

While the `foregoing isdescriptive ofthe preferred embodiment of vmy invention itis -not intended'that the same be interpreted in a limitativesense :as obviously changes may be .made withoutthe exercise of ,inven- 4rtion or .departing from the spirit and scope 4ofthe claims heretorappended.

Having thus .described my invention what I l claim as ,new `and desire to .secure by Letters =Patent, is l f VZ1*.A safety fen/der yfor vehicles comprisingV-in combination with the brakes ,of .a motor vehicle, a plurality .of :fender barscarried by the chassis ofthe .vehicleflaay.tongs connections between said bars, and means .connected to the klowermfost of y said bars actuated yby lthe application of the .vehicle brakesto operate said bars Yand lazygtongs vforminga protecting screen. l

2l A ysafety fenderfor `vehicles compris- -ing in combination ,with the brakes ,cfa

`motor vehicle, plurality .of fenderfrbars l.the :uppermostbeing rigidly mounted at the Vfront .of the. vehicle, lazy-.tongs lco nnections intermediate said bars, a pair' lof levers v.pivotal-ly connected to the lowermost'pf `said -bumper bars, Vrocker 4arms `having,one

end connectedV to the brakes ofthe vehicle,

said bars ends ofsaidarms and ysaid leversto .distend and lazy-tongs' to form a protecting screen.

3. A safety Yfender for vehicles comprising in combination with the brakes of a ve- Vhicle, a plurality of fender bars on the front o'f the vehicle, lazy-tongs intermediate said bars,a casing,fixed on the axle of the vehicle,` a sleeve rotatably mounted in said casing, connections intermediate said sleeve andthe lowermost of .said/,harm Vand means operable `in said sleeve yactuated by the brakes to rotate lsaid sleeve to lower vsaid bars `forming a. protecting screen.

,4. Anautomaticsafety fender for vehicles comprising combination with the brakes vof-,a vehicle, acasinfrfixedtothe front axle .of jthe vehicle, a angedsleeve vrotatably` mountedftherein, a second` sleeve journalled l:in said casing, connections intermediate said sleeves, a lever .ixedto 1the'second sleeve, a screen operatively connected to said lever,

,and meansengaging said 'flanged sleeveand K vconnected to the vbrakes'l-to rotate the same whereby tol extend` saidscreen.

; 5. An automatici safety deviceQ-for v vehicles comprising in combination Iwith .the brakes ofa vehicle, ascreenmounted on thefront of :the fcvehicle, an :arm .pivotally vconnected thereto, a casing, a bar connected to .the brakesof the vehicle slidable in `said casi-ng,

`lsaid bar .having a helical portion, and means actuated '.bysaid 4helical nportionto voperate said lever whereby the screen is extended.

x6. An :automaticsafety deviceyfor vehicles comprisingin combination with the brakes of a vehicle, acscreenl mounted on the front ofthe vehicle, an arm` pivotally connected thereto, acasing, a bar slidable in said casing, said `bar having a helical portion, adjustablelconnect-ions between said bar and the brake-s of the vehicle, and means actutatedbysaid helical yportionto operate said lever whereby the l screen is L,extended and held firmly in extended' position.

7 A fender for vehicles comprising lfor- ,wardly andA upwardlyextendingVbrackets securedV to the chassis framebars ,at their forward extremities, a bar fixed in the upper part of said l.brackets to extend acrossthe ,frontpf the vehicle, a vseries ofbarslhaving .extensible yconnections ,with Yeach A,other and with said lixed bar, pivoted levers engaging .the lowermost .bar in said series, andrm'eans .carried by said vehicle for-manipulating said levers. f Y 'f 8. A fender for vehicles comprising v a series of parallel bars arranged horizontally in a ,vertical planeat the .front of Vva vehicle, means for rigidly. supporting ,the .upperfban v.extenslll .connections between v all of i,said bars, pivoted yleversV attached to thelower bai, geared covnnecQknStO Qperatethe pivots j of said levers, ,andineans 5in: the :vehicle to actuatesaidgeared connections.

lao

9. A fender for vehicles comprising a series of parallel bars arranged horizontally in a vertical plane at the front of a vehicle, means for rigidly supporting the upper bar,

5 extensible connections between all of said bars, levers pivotally attached to the lower bar of said series, pivots on which said levers are fixed, geared connections on said pivots, torsional springs interposed between said geared connections and pivots, and means in l0 the vehicle to manually operate said geared connections.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

HARRY M. KATZ. 

